I bought local garbage bags

You can take the girl out of Texas but not the Texas out of the girl and ultimately not the girl out of Texas.
~Janine Turner

It seems the regional grocery chain HEB has obtained Go Texan certification for some of their products. I saw it on some tortilla chips, which was cool, and then I bought a box of garbage bags with the logo on it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that logo on anything that wasn’t edible in some way.

It was kind of surreal. We’re at a point in society where I can buy locally made garbage bags. Of course, HEB is the same company that put out the funny-because-it’s-true Texas Myths commercial. They seem to have the same sort of deranged pride in Texas that I myself suffer from. (The trash bags are “Texas Tough,” by the way.)

I started shopping at HEB because it wasn’t Wal-Mart. I continue because their store brand is excellent, and the employees seem well-treated and decently paid. The fact that said store brand appears to be sourced, when possible, from within the state is a huge plus to me.

It’s honestly unexpected. I’m sure the amount of automation in a garbage bag factory is high, and thus domestic production is affordable. But it’s still a little thrill to still see an occasional “Made in the USA” or Go Texan logo on a product…even if it’s followed by the dubious “from international parts.” And there are probably enough deranged, prideful Texans out there that gaining the Go Texan certification was a good move. Although who knows, the execs at HEB may just be pridefully deranged enough to do it just for the hell of it.